The top or most interesting stories from Japan for February 12
– Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a speech yesterday to his parliamentary colleagues, imploring them to accept his planned removal of pacifist elementThe wrap from Japan – February 12s in the Japanese constitution, in what the New York Times‘ Martin Fackler has described as an “emotional plea“.
The Abe government is intent on becoming a global player; continuing to remove the ban on arms sales that begun under the previous Democratic Party of Japan–administration; donating ‘non-military’ monetary aid to foreign militaries; and seeking to strengthen Japan’s national security laws in the wake of the Japanese hostage crisis.
At the same time, Abe’s administration is working its PR, spending half a billion dollars to encourage interest in Japan abroad whilst asking foreign textbook publishers to remove references to war crimes in Japan’s colonial history.
– Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party is looking to establish a national intelligence agency akin to the CIA or MI5 in the wake of the hostage crisis and the government’s forced dependence on Jordanian and Turkish intelligence.
– The local Shibuya ward government in Tokyo will be the first in Japan to allow same-sex ‘partner certificates’ if draft legislation is passed. Whilst it won’t yet push for same-sex marriage, the legal recognition of same-sex couples is considered a “step in the right direction” by activists. (New York Times, Wall Street Journal)
– Teenage girls spend an average of seven hours a day on their smartphones, whilst boys spend an average of four hours a day. One psychiatrist calls this a symptom of conformism amongst Japanese youth, with teenagers fearing to switch off lest they become the subject of bullying or social isolation.
– Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the 21st Century is gaining traction in Japan with his ideas on how the government could tackle its huge debt problem and income inequality (albeit a shrinking income inequality), with one senior adviser to Shinzo Abe believing Piketty could be of use to Japan.
